WinningEdge Blog

Submitted by Jim Hurley’s Network on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at 12:14 PM

THE NBA PLAYOFFS:

HOPE "MOM" LIKES HER PRO HOOPS'CAUSE SPURS-WARRIORS ARE SET TO TANGLEIN GAME 1 OF WESTERN FINALS ON SUNDAY...PLUS WE REVIEW CELTICS-WIZARDS GAME 6

THE BASEBALL REPORT:YANKEES HOPING "DEREK JETER WEEKEND"ISN'T A LOST CAUSE

Got some sound/free advice for you good folks that are hoping to spend Mother's Day with your favorite mom ... make early plans or hold off till dinner hour 'cause odds are you're gonna be busy between 3:30 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET.

Hey, it's Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals - and that's must-see TV as the Warriors look to go 9-and-oh SU (straight-up) in this year's post-season and, in case you're wondering, this will be Golden State's first game since Monday night when it wrapped up its second straight playoff series sweep with a straight-set win against gritty Utah.

More about "how the West will be won" in a moment but first this reminder: Jim Hurley and his Network of Handicappers and Bloggers have plenty more winners in the NBA Playoffs and in Major-League Baseball - get 'em online right here or call our exclusive toll-free telephone # of 1-800-323-4453.

EASTERN CONFERENCEWASHINGTON 92, BOSTON 91 - Series tied 3-3

One thing you've got to say about Friday's classic Game 6 battle in the nation's capital: It's become painfully obvious that these Celtics and these Wizards really don't care for one another all that much and so thus the sparks for Monday's Game 7 showdown in Beantown will be flyin'.

The Wizards pulled out Game 6 with the now well-documented three-point hoop from PG John Wall who scored 23 of his 26 points following the intermission break but the real story from this game was how the C's "blew it" as a five-point lead with 1:27 remaining evaporated faster than you can say Bob Cousy!

Wall's triple with 3.5 seconds left stunned/shocked the Celtics who didn't exactly get a handle on the Washington backcourt of Wall and sidekick Bradley Beal (game-high 33 points) and so we'll say we were "half-right" in our pre-Game 6 prediction that the Wizards would not win if Wall/Beal were forced to score 50 percent of their team's points (they scored 64 percent of the team's points and won but didn't get the all-important pointspread cover!).

(Note all home teams are in CAPS below:)

DATE

WINNER

SPREAD

LOSER

SCORE

4-30

BOSTON

- 4.5

Washington

123-111

5-2

BOSTON

- 5

Washington

129-119 (ot)

5-4

WASH'TON

- 5.5

Boston

116-89

5-7

WASH'TON

- 5

Boston

121-102

5-10

BOSTON

- 4

Washington

123-101

5-12

WASH'TON

- 5

Boston

92-91

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALSSAN ANTONIO at GOLDEN STATE - Game 1 is Sunday, 3:30 p.m.ET on ABC

Just like there's "no crying in baseball", there's no "resting in NBA Playoff games".

Just thought we'd state that because two of the three games played between these teams in the regular season included lots of DNP/Coach's Decision next to the names of several star players.

It's gonna be an all-hands-on-deck Game 1 providing Spurs' megastar Kawhi Leonard can play with that tweaked ankle suffered in Game 5 of the previous playoff series win against Houston: If Leonard gets the green light here than look for 'em to shadow stand-still shooter Klay Thompson but the real key for the double-digit dog Spurs is to make Golden State pay on the other end of the floor ... can San Ant's LaMarcus Aldrige and Pau Gasol (a combined 44 points and 23 rebounds in last Thursday's blowout win against the Rockets) get their points/boards against Draymond Green and a smaller front line here?

Remember that G-State's most recent sweep allowed F Kevin Durant to get more rest for his injuries but you do wonder whether Durant, Thompson and - of course - Stephen Curry - will be a tad rusty after playing just four games in the last 19 days.

If you didn't see the series price, let us tell 'ya that the Warriors are - 1100 and the Spurs are + 750 based on a $100 wager ... can't remember any NBA Western Conference Finals that was priced quite like this ever!

(Note all home teams are in CAPS below in these regular-season matchups:)

DATE

WINNER

SPREAD

LOSER

SCORE

10-25

San Antonio

+ 8

GOLDEN ST

129-100

3-11

SAN ANTONIO

- 10.5

Golden St

107-85

3-29

Golden St

+ 4.5

SAN ANT

110-98

THE BASEBALL REPORT

It figures.There were the New York Yankees absolutely humming along as the best/biggest story thus far in this 2017 season and their pinstriped fans were going ga-ga in anticipation of icon Derek Jeter getting set to have his uniform #2 retired in a Sunday evening ceremony in The Bronx.

So, two games into this four-game weekend set, the Yankees - losers by 3-2 and 5-1 scores to the Houston Astros - now are hoping this isn't gonna be a totally "lost weekend" for them as they get set to honor "The Captain".

Okay, so a play at the plate in which OF Jacoby Ellsbury was nailed cost 'em any shot at winning Thursday's opener and then Friday night hard-throwing RHP Lance McCullers Jr. threw six shutout/walk-free innings in a 5-1 Astros' win.

Now - following the announcement that the Saturday game was PPD because of rain - it's a day-night twin-bill on Mother's Day with Jeter's ceremony happening prior to the nightcap. Hey, could the Yanks actually get swept this "Jeter Weekend" at home and throw a wet blanket on this whole great start?

Could happen but Yankee fans still better view this glass as half-full right now even with the back-to-back losses to Houston - right now the 'Stros would be our choice to make it all the way to this year's World Series, agree? - because this lineup and this rotation has been a whole lot better than anyone first thought.

Then, again, nobody wants to lose four straight games this weekend with "The Captain" in the building.

NOTE: More NBA Playoff coverage in the next Jim Sez plus get our MLB Notes too as we zoom through May and towards next month's NBA Finals.